Bird Communities of Some Urban Bushland Fragments: Implications for Conservation

Abstract

Bushland fragments have potential for the conservation of native bird species diversity in suburban Australia, where exotic birds are particularly successful. We surveyed the birds in 15 bushland fragments 1.3 to 12.4 ha in area in suburban Melbourne, Victoria during the 1999- 2000 breeding season to determine whether the fragments were dominated by native or exotic birds. Bird species richness and size of the fragment were positively correlated. Ninety per cent of the species recorded were native and 83% of the sightings were also of native birds, which numerically dominated all fragments and were mainly typical forest or open-woodland birds. A high incidence of native tree-hollow-nesting species suggests that old, hollow bearing trees might still be common in the fragments or nearby. However, all fragments contained at least one exotic bird species, and three such species were common and widely distributed among the fragments.